Life is make believe, fantasy given form

Trump’s Bone Walls

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This post is dedicated to Donald Trump and the many walls he attempts to build between us and within which he resides. An excerpt from my post-apocalyptic book The Bone Wall, it’s an oral history told by a disabled woman named Shy who keeps the stories of the People.

***

“In ancient days,” Shy begins, “old books told of gods and angels, devils and deceivers, of the making and breaking of the world.” Her small hands glide though the air as she talks, as if she would paint for us a picture of the words she perceives. She appears not to blink, the light voice of a child smoothly echoing an ancient tale imprinted in her memory long ago. “Prophesies came to pass, books burned to ash, gods and devils long ago dead.” She pauses to swivel her misshapen head, her eyes goggling at Riverwalkers and descendants alike.
*
In the beginning, the greatest of gods created into the formless and empty void, the heavens and earth. Of his eyes, he made the sun and moon, which he set among the white stars that he might behold his creation by light of day and dark of night.
*
He toiled to set the clay to spin, the sky to blue and storm. Of his blood, he spilled the rain to carve the rivers and sate the sea. Of his body, he sowed the seeds of life and from his flesh burst a fecund world of plant and tree, laying over the land between the seas a verdant green. He gazed upon the work of his hands and saw it was good.
*
With his breath, he breathed life into the waters of the sea and set it teeming. Breathed life into the winged birds of the sky. Molded with his fingers and breathed into the living creatures that roam the land, each according to their own natures. He gazed upon the work of his heart and saw it was good.
*
And of his thought, he created man in his likeness and woman that he might live in companionship. To them he gave the seed-bearing plants and fruit-bearing trees. To them he granted mastery over the fishes in the seas and birds in the sky and every wild creature that crawls and runs upon the land, that they might shepherd this new world. He gazed upon the work of his dreams and saw it was good.
*
Thus in seven days the heavens and the earth were fashioned in all their vast array.
*
In the beginning of the end, what was done would be undone.
*
For man in his covetousness forsook the gifts of the great god and bowed to the deceivers who feared not to speak evil of grace and charity, believing themselves their own deceivings. They with feigned words made man a slave of his desires, promised him liberty, when they themselves were the servants of corruption.
*
In pride and greed, man closed his eyes to the shelter of the sky, thus the sun was set to scorch with fire and the moon to chill with ice. In gluttony and sloth, man poured his foul in the rivers and springs of water that flowed to the sea, and every living thing in the sea died and the land dried. In envy and lust, man scourged the life of the fields and forests, and disease broke out on man and beast; thus the land was plunged into plague.
*
In wrath and fear, the deceivers shouted their righteousness into the air. Forsaken and astray, zealous with false beliefs and dread to hope, man took up sword and shield. Flashes of lightning rent the sky, peals of thunder shook the mountains and the great cities of the nations crumbled. Every island drowned as the seas rose up in mighty tides. From the sky, huge hailstones, fire, and ash fell on the People.
*
Thus in seven days the heavens and the earth were broken in all their vast array.
*
The deceivers, laden with plunder, sought to escape the pollutions of their creation. In secret voices, they whispered among them: “Let us build these Gardens and stand walls around them. The glory is ours, for we are the righteous and chosen of God; rewarded with license on every side. Why else be blessed with such bounty, but by God’s desire.”
*
Then in slow procession, one for every ten thousand men entered within the walls. One for every ten thousand women abided within the walls. One for every ten thousand children sheltered within the walls. So they found peace within their walls and security within their strongholds, no violence in their land, nor ruin or destruction within their borders.
*
Beyond the walls, the tens of tens of tens of thousands trembled, for terror and fear lay upon the whole land. The fields went fallow, and beasts bore no calves or lambs. The rivers ran with fire, and seas belched up their foul and bloated bodies. Plagues and pestilence befell man and his descendants, harsh and prolonged disasters, and severe and lingering wars. And the people came to the Garden walls and begged for entrance.
*
And so said the deceivers onto the gathering hordes: “Mighty God, bless us. Saved are we by our devotion to your laws and renunciation of the wicked. We offer no succor among the righteous but cast the sinful from our gates. We deny the tainted and corrupt safe harbor within our moral ranks. We are the merciless sword of your justice, keepers of the covenant, the Saved.”
*
The people in the parched and broken world rose up in fear and desperation, and descended onto the Garden gates. A great horde of fury marched on the mighty walls, those in back pressing blindly on those at the fore until bodies leapt in screaming pillars of flame. They could not save themselves from the power of the walls; just as fire consumes the forest and sets the mountains ablaze, so were they devoured.
*
Ten-thousand times a thousand men blazed upon the walls. Ten thousand times a thousand women flared upon the walls. Ten thousand times a thousand children perished upon the walls. And the white bones clattered and rattled and formed mountainous bone walls around the Gardens of the deceivers so they would be reminded of their own ruination.

Powerful message, Diana. When the wheel starts rolling, the walls won’t stop it. This solution is wrong, and as always, there is a precedent. Soviet Union had their ‘curtain’, and we all know about its disastrous effect on their own people. Well, nothing much has happened yet. Obama recalled his 2011 ban after 6 months, so we still have some time 🙂

Everything is still reversible, Inese, but people are already being deported and families separated. Reducing access to healthcare and safeguards for the environment are going to impact millions. The racial walls, gender walls, and economic walls also concern me. This is why I occasionally need to write silly stories about vegetarian trolls 🙂

Thanks for reading this longer excerpt. After this dark one, I had to go with vegetarian trolls. 🙂 I wish the powers that be would listen, but I doubt it. Keep spreading the love and have a great weekend. ❤

You know I’m on vacation with barely spare time to read blogs. Came by to clear out my inbox, was captivated by the title and had to read. There is much to be said for this fantastic piece of writing Diana. Sad, brilliant, biblical and just a great writing. ❤

Ha ha. Well… satire wasn’t really what I was aiming for. But, okay. 😀 I wrote this book when GW Bush was building his bone wall. I was in a pretty pessimistic mood. I never expected that it would get worse! Thanks so much for reading, Dave. Happy Writing 🙂

Diana, this is so beautiful, powerful, and sad at the same time. This one line really summed it up for me: “The deceivers, laden with plunder, sought to escape the pollutions of their creation.” The deceivers, of course, make me angry, and I am also angry that there are those who can be so easily deceived. I don’t really understand why we can never seem to go forward…. I know we could do better. I did enjoy reading this wonderful excerpt.

Thanks, Lana. Rather dark. I sometimes get so gloomy and mad that I need to write my apocalyptic daydreams out. I do wonder how the “powers that be” think they can destroy the environment and the foundations of civil society, and somehow remain immune to the destruction. Thanks for reading!

As a Canadian living in the US with a visa, I’m a little bit nervous… it runs out in 7 months and I hope Canadians aren’t outlawed in the meantime. Who really knows? It’s time to renew it before Trudeau upsets him! 🙂

You warned me this was a dark one, D., but I read it during all the talk of Trump’s wall during the campaign…and I cringed when I came to this passage. You were, sadly, ahead of our time in describing the possibilities of exclusion, selective “salvation” for the few. Wow. Thanks for posting this. Dark, but very effective writing.

Thanks, Van. As you know, the walls in the book were both physical and metaphorical just as we have today. We have border walls, racial, ethnic, economic, political walls… all meant to divide us. I hate to sound like Reagan, but we need to “tear down those walls.” And thanks so much for taking a chance on the book! Much appreciated ❤ ❤

I certainly hope it’s not prophetic, though for some of us it may be. I was lamenting the GW Bush presidency when I wrote it. Little did I know what was ahead. Thanks for reading, Kathryn. Hey, the onion patties were great and so easy. We’re having them again tonight 🙂

I was listening to Joseph Campbell’s book on the Hero and was struck when reading this the same message. You wrote the message that only those who choose to move beyond selfishness survive and find happiness in such dramatic and stirring language.

Thanks for the great comment, Bernadette. I think we are heading toward a shift in values from greed to generosity, fear to love, hatred to compassion, consumerism to sustainability. Hopefully sooner rather than later, since the current path seems to be leading us into self-destruction. We all need to lead the way as you do with your kind and empowering blog. ❤

Great quote, Bridget. In the end, we rise and fall together. We can’t destroy the planet and expect to be immune from the destruction. Same goes for the elements of civilization. Thanks for reading, my friend. ❤

A wonderful piece of futuristic writing, D, powerful and poetic.
In England there are many castles, physical reminders of how we used to treat each other with suspicion and mistrust, hiding behind walls and across moats. I thought we’d moved forward but Brexit showed otherwise. Welcome back to the middle ages…

Oh no, Phil. The middle ages. My husband already refers to us as “the peasants.” Ha ha. Sad but true. The wealth disparity between the rich and everyone else is immense and growing. Just watch. They won’t look like castle walls, but the physical and vitual walls protecting the rich are going to get bigger and more deadly. At least love and kindness are free. Peasants unite!

What a great tie-in. I love how you explore a timely topic. I wonder if fear of others is just part of being human. I guess our moral leaders (like the Pope’s wall around the Vatican) could set the pace, lead us into that unknown. Truly, I just don’t know…

I think fear is human, Jacqui, and has its place in our survival. But we are also rational beings, no longer cave people fighting for resources so we don’t starve over the winter. I think our moral leaders should lead, but we each have the ability to choose our values and act upon them. The amassing of wealth at all costs, including the lives and well-beings of others, is not a value I support. Time for a change, methinks. ❤

I think that’s what suprises me most, Sebnem, that some people believe they can destroy the planet or the foundations of civilized society and be somehow immune to the destruction. Thanks for reading and have a day full of light. 🙂

‘Here’s one I prepared earlier’ as you take the Creation out of the middle shelf? See it is perfectly tanned in accord with what was foretold. A slice of ancient myth? No fresh baked this morning, with the yeast of universal and perennial rising… Take a slice, bitter truth tastes of almonds.

I need my comment deciphering ring, Philippa. Ha ha. I love musing over your comments, my friend. Ancient wisdom/prophesy? Or has man gone unchanged for thousands of year? Are we doomed or will we one day experience a revelation? These are certainly dark days, and therefore we must keep shining the light. ❤

You are digging deeper than you need Diana. I merely meant that the passage already written in ‘The Bone Wall’ was today produced as though on a baking show ( incidentally a day in which a mass grave has been discovered of all the eliminated opponents of Assad in Syria on the wall of which he stands as though to receive an Olympic God medal-Today’s Times) and by its reference to Biblical language, and idiom resurrects the perennial battle that now is clearly manifest. The truth tasting of almonds was( I hoped) a way to acknowledge that even bitter truth, is truth.

Thank you, Steve. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I seem to gravitate toward “dark” writing every time the US elects a Republican president. Sadly, here we are again, and this time it’s worse than the last. Have a great day and spread the light around 🙂

What a powerful description Diana and so relevant to man’s avarice and egoistic plunder…dark times could never conceal the sun. Hope is always shining its light, however bleak it may seem, it filters through every possible betrayal to awaken the few who take the message of goodness forward. History is a mute witness.
Thanks for sharing this excerpt, it speaks volumes!

Thanks for the visit, Balroop. You’re always so hopeful. It’s wonderful. I tend to get a bit gloomy at times and this was written during one of those… years. Ha ha. Have a lovely day and keep spreading the joy.

Having grown up in a religious “system” that existed only due to the walls it built, this is doubly frightening. The only “righteous” were within those walls, and all others — even those in other denominations — were decried and treated as anathema. All the while, within the walls, lechery, greed, pride and hate pulsed, masked in gossamer veneers — the emperor’s new clothes — “visible” only for lack of outside eyes to say as the child in the story, “Why is the emperor naked?”

I knew from your last post that you would get this, Erik, and I’m glad I captured the danger of righteousness. I think it can apply to religion, but it certainly extends to any group-think. Our current politics is saturated with it. We have to keep pulling down the walls, my friend. ❤

Yes, I’ve never subscribed to group-think; and so, within such systems, I’ve become adept at sneaking around and pulling the bricks out. More than a few times, I’ve been able to pull them in just the right spot to bring a section crumbling down. At least with the current walls, given the vast number of people with the same goal, I believe a lot of internal dismantling will continue, never allowing a fortress to arise.

Thanks, Felicia. I wrote this during Bush’s presidency, but it works today too, unfortunately. It’s my darkest book as I needed to purge all my worry for the world. Looks like I need to write another! Ha ha. Have a great week. 🙂

I loved this book, Diana, and I thought this passage was a turning point in the story. It presented a previously unknown truth and for me, it was no longer clear who was more right or wrong … which is usually the case when dealing with ‘sins of the father’.

I always cringe when I hear ‘we are the righteous’ … for I can be certain that more often than not, they aren’t.

Thanks so much, Joanne. It is a turning point in the book as the truth of the past is revealed. I wrote it during the GW Bush presidency, but it seems even more applicable today. Ugh. I agree that righteousness is dangerous – it implies a lack of empathy. Have a great week full of love.

Thank you so much for the wonderful comment. As an oral history, I wanted to include Scripture, but show that it had shifted in the repeated telling as well as blended with more recent events. It was fascinating to research. I’m so glad you enjoyed the writing. 🙂

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